1. Field of Invention
The invention is directed to fishing devices for retrieving coiled tubing disposed in oil and gas wells and, in particular, to spoolable coiled tubing spears for retrieving coiled tubing within the wellbores of oil and gas wells.
2. Description of Art
In certain oil and gas drilling and production operations, coiled tubing is disposed in a wellbore for carrying out the operations. As used herein, the term “wellbore” includes cased and uncased boreholes as well as risers that may be connected or in fluid communication with a subsea “Christmas tree,” blowout preventer, or other component of a subsea oil or gas well. One advantage to using coiled tubing is that it can be spooled so that long lengths of tubing are more easily and efficiently delivered to and stored at the wellbore or at the off-shore floating platform or vessel from which the oil or gas operations are managed. In certain situations, the coiled tubing must be cut at or near the bottom of the wellbore, or riser. For example, in deep water oil and gas operations, a oil and gas production or drilling floating platform or vessel on the surface of the water may need to be disconnected from a subsea blowout preventer such as when a hurricane or other inclement weather is approaching. In these situations, the coiled tubing is cut at the blow-out preventer, leaving only the blowout preventer located at or near the seafloor and a short length of coiled tubing. The platform or vessel, and riser, can then either be moved as necessary, or be permitted to move with the wave-action without placing undo stresses on the coiled tubing or other structures normally connected between the platform and the blowout preventer.
After being cut, it is normally desirable to reconnect with the cut coiled tubing. To do so, however, requires the operators of the wellbore to “fish” the cut coiled tubing from the wellbore so that it can be brought to the surface of the wellbore, e.g., the floating platform or vessel, where it can be reconnected to the spooled coiled tubing. The spoolable coiled tubing spears described here achieve the function of fishing the cut coiled tubing from the wellbore.